


Safe With Me

by Ninja_Librarian



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: And Rapunzel hovers, Cass and Lance don't get it, Eugene is injured, Eugene just wants to cuddle with his girlfriend is that too much to ask for?, Eugene whump, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Minor Violence, Rapunzel has PTSD, Whump, set during s2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:28:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24388939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninja_Librarian/pseuds/Ninja_Librarian
Summary: While following the black rocks to the Dark Kingdom, the caravan is attacked by bandits, injuring Eugene.Rapunzel does not take it well.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 9
Kudos: 86





	1. Chapter 1

As much as he hated to admit it, Eugene had known that Cass was right about traveling being dangerous. Granted, he could have done without the bandits to prove her point.

They attacked when the traveling party was setting up camp for the evening. Eugene had just got the fire going when he saw Cass coming back from a perimeter check, Owl swooping down to land on her shoulder. He frowned as he noticed that Cass had a more sour expression on her face than usual.

“What’s wrong?” Eugene asked, straightening up and dusting off his hands.

“I think we should push on closer to the next town,” Cass said. “Owl saw some strange men in the woods.”

“Could they possibly live in that town you mentioned? Headed home for the night?” Rapunzel asked as she exited the caravan, a basket of food in her arms, Lance and Hook Foot right behind her with a stack of plates and cooking utensils.

As if to answer her question, suddenly a dozen men in black masks leapt out from behind the bushes and trees.

“No, Raps, I don’t think so,” Cass said dryly as she pulled out her sword.

“Now, now,” Said one of the goons, whom Eugene quickly determined was the Head Goon, with his sickly sweet smile and tone in his gruff, low voice. “There’s no need for violence. Just hand over all your valuables, and we’ll be on our way.”

“Ooh, sorry, my friends,” Eugene said, stepping forward slightly, prepared to bluff their way out of this mess. “As it so happens, we are fresh out of valuables. Spent our last coin at the last town we were at. We’re traveling minstrels, you see. Going from town to town, earning coins to pay for enough food to get us on through to the next town.”

“Besides,” Shorty said as he stumbled out of the caravan, a bag of Corona gold coins in one hand and a single coin in the other. “You don’t want ‘em. Taste horrible.”

For emphasis, Shorty bit down on the coin.

Eugene resisted the urge to smack his forehead with the palm of his hand. Cass, however, did not resist the same urge.

He knew for a fact, though, that they had both more greatly resisted the urge to strangle Shorty.

Head Goon arched an eyebrow at Eugene.

“Grandpa!” Eugene gasped with fake shock, praying that he could still lie his way out of this. “I thought we had worked through this, as a family!” To the bandits, he said, “I’m so sorry, but this is a serious family issue that we must resolve now. In private.”

“Oh, sure,” Head Goon said, smiling menacingly as he pointed his sword right at Eugene. “We’ll leave. We’ll even help your grandfather’s little problem by relieving him of his gold. And the other valuables you’re hiding.”

Eugene heaved a deep sigh. “And I’m so sorry it came to this.”

He glanced over at his friends and said, “Cass? Max? Go loose.”

“With pleasure!” Cass said, a grin on her face as she round-house kicked a goon who was trying to grab her from behind. Max whinnied and started kicking more goons.

Eugene grabbed a frying pan from the crate in Hook Foot’s arms, rushing past Rapunzel as she freed her hair. Behind him, Lance and Hook Foot pulled out their own weapons.

Despite the traveling party being greatly outnumbered, the would-be bandits fell easily, a few starting to retreat into the woods. However, most of them still had bulk on their side.

Eugene was dueling one bandit—who had an expression on his face like he couldn’t believe he was actually in a duel with someone with a frying pan—when he felt something solid and heavy collide with his right side. It took him a moment to realize it was another bandit, knocking him completely off balance to hit the ground, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Eugene wasn’t sure if he first heard or felt the pop in his left shoulder as he hit the ground. Either way, the pain caused stars to dance in his vision and his stomach to churn. He tried to push himself up with both hands, but quickly collapsed into the dirt again as the pain was too much, his eyes squeezed shut.

When he opened his eyes again, they widened as he saw across the clearing, Rapunzel using her hair to capture bandits and trip them, completely oblivious to the fact that Head Goon was coming up right behind her, a knife gleaming in his raised hand.

Eugene didn’t remember getting off the ground, or running to her side. He barely remembered throwing both arms around her, the yelp she let out, a fresh wave of pain coming from his arm. He definitely didn’t remember the slash of the knife against his own skin or blacking out in the moments between when he grabbed her and when they landed on the ground.

“—gene! Eugene!”

He opened his eyes slowly, seeing only blonde, so much blonde, his face buried in Rapunzel’s seventy-feet of soft hair. He could hear her voice by his ear, filled with fear and panic. He could feel her small body squirming beneath him, trying to get him off of her. He felt bad for squishing her, but had no energy to move, pain pinning him in place.

“Eugene!” The heartbreak in Rapunzel’s cry forced him to find the energy to muster a response.

“Blondie?” He mumbled. Though he immediately regretted this because he got some of her magic hair—the root of the aforementioned nickname—in his mouth.

“Eugene!” This time, Rapunzel’s voice was full of relief and she stopped moving as much.

“Eugene, buddy!” Lance’s voice was accompanied by two sets of large hands, pulling Eugene off of Rapunzel.

Eugene clamped his jaw shut. But whether it was to hold back a scream or to prevent himself from retching, he wasn’t sure. The pain was blinding and his vision was nearly black from the stars. His stomach felt like an ocean in a hurricane, and he was suddenly very glad that the bandits attacked before dinner.

Lance and Hook Foot had him sat upright, heavily leaning on Lance. Rapunzel was on her knees in front of him, brushing hair out of Eugene’s face, her delicate features clouded with worry.

“Eugene,” She whispered, her sparkling eyes brimming with tears.

“I’m alright, Sunshine,” He assured her, pressing his hand to hers where it rested on his cheek. She didn’t look convinced, and he noticed a dark red splatter in her hair. That was odd, she hadn’t been painting that day and it still looked wet…

Oh. Wait.

“Sorry,” Eugene told her.

“For what?” Rapunzel asked, now confused.

“Got blood in your hair… Know it’s a pain to wash. Sorry.”

“Buddy, you’ve got bigger things to worry about than the Princess’s hair,” Lance said, grimacing. “Like the fact that you’re bleeding.”

“And that shoulder is definitely dislocated,” Cass said grimly as she approached, crouching down beside Rapunzel in front of Eugene.

“Bandits?” Eugene asked as Cass, Rapunzel and Hook Foot started to carefully remove his jacket. He hissed slightly as the fabric brushed over the cut on his arm and jostled his shoulder.

“Sorry!” Rapunzel whimpered, pressing kisses to face. He patted her knee.

“Its fine, Sunshine,” He told her, not sure if he was lying more to her or to himself.

“Bandits turned tail and ran,” Cass answered. “Max and Fidella are running them off a little deeper into the forest. Hopefully they won’t come back, unless they’re gluttons for punishment and want a second beating.”

Eugene nodded slightly, his eyes on Rapunzel’s shaky fingers as they undid the buttons of his shirt. Watched as she opened his shirt, saw her take deep, steadying breaths, her fingers trailing over the left side of his ribs. They ached but didn’t hurt at her gentle touch.

Besides, he knew what she was looking for. It wasn’t hard to find. He could feel his skin tingle as her fingertips found what they sought.

“Raps,” Cass snapped. “You can ogle your shirtless boyfriend later. I need you to go grab an apple, bring it here, then go find the medical supplies in the caravan.”

Rapunzel’s fingers curled back towards her palm, and she nodded as she got to her feet, walking off without complaint.

“What the heck is the apple for?” Hook Foot asked Cass, who didn’t answer as Rapunzel came back with the requested item, putting it directly into Cass’s waiting palm. With her other hand, Cass pointed towards the caravan, her eyes repeating her order for Rapunzel to go there next. Rapunzel pressed another kiss to Eugene’s cheek, then she disappeared inside the caravan.

“Fitzherbert, open your mouth,” Cass ordered, lifting the apple.

“Cassandra,” Eugene snapped. “I’m seriously not hungry at the moment. In fact, if I do eat something, I promise I will just—”

Then she did something that terrified Eugene and cut him off.

She looked at him with pity.

“I’m going to put this apple in your mouth,” She said calmly. “So that you don’t bite your tongue off trying not to scream.”

She knew him well enough to know that he was going to hold back any sound that indicated pain.

For Rapunzel.

Eugene opened his mouth and let Cass put the apple in his mouth like he was some prize pig for a feast. He sank his teeth into the flesh of the apple and closed his eyes as he felt Lance readjust his grip, then Cass take his injured arm.

She didn’t warn him that she was going to start. She didn’t preface it with the warning that it would hurt. She didn’t tell him what she was going to do.

As he blacked out from the pain from Cass putting his shoulder back in socket, he thought that her lack of warning was probably the nicest thing she had ever done for him.


	2. Chapter 2

Rapunzel had gone through the same cabinet twice looking for the medical supplies box before she realized that her hands were shaking. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window and saw her own wide-eyes through clouded vision. She took a deep breath and sank to the floor, putting her head between her knees. Trying to banish the memories of red, so much red. And Eugene on the ground, not responding to his name being said.

Eugene’s death in the tower had been one of the many recurring nightmares during her first few months in the palace. Like the ones with Gothel, they had faded away from being almost nightly terrors to occasional bumps in a good night’s sleep.

But now… This was worse than the nightmares, where she relived that horrible moment—sometimes in quick succession, witnessing it multiple times in the span of seconds; sometimes details changed. They weren’t in the tower, they were in the palace gardens, in town, or they were dancing or walking and then she could only watch as he collapsed from the suddenness of the knife wound. But the worst were the ones where he didn’t wake up. Where he wasn’t healed.

But this was worse. Because this wasn’t a bad dream. This was real.

She heard Pascal coo and pat her head gently. Rapunzel sighed and lifted her head, trying to offer her friend a smile. “I’m okay, Pascal. I just… I needed a moment.”

Rapunzel closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then got to her feet again.

She wasn’t doing herself or Eugene any good just sitting there. She wasn’t the type of person to just sit around and do nothing. So she grabbed the medical supplies and returned to the campsite.

However, what she saw nearly made Rapunzel drop the basket, her eyes wide: Eugene, slack against Lance and being lowered to the ground gently, his eyes closed.

“What happened?” She demanded as she rushed over, dropping to her knees, pressing her hands to Eugene’s cheeks, her eyes darting from his closed eyes, to Lance, to Cass, to Hook Foot, silently demanding an explanation.

“I reset his shoulder,” Cass said simply, as if that remotely answered Rapunzel’s question.

It did not.

“He’s fine, Princess,” Lance said, clasping a large hand to Rapunzel’s shoulder. “I think he just blacked out from the pain, when Cass fixed his shoulder.”

He said this in a way that should have been reassuring.

It was not.

Cass sighed at the way Rapunzel’s mouth twisted. “Raps, I promise, he’s going to be fine. He’ll be in pain when he wakes up, though. Lance and I will work on cleaning this wound and getting Eugene’s arm in a sling. Raps, do you know what herbs are good for making a tea for pain relief, and which ones would be in this area?”

Rapunzel nodded, but swallowed. The last thing she wanted to do was leave Eugene’s side. “Yes, I do. But—”

“Perfect. Hook Foot, go with the Princess,” Cass ordered, an unspoken dismissal in her voice. No room for argument or discussion, no matter how much Rapunzel wanted to yell “No!”, to refuse to move.

_It’s for Eugene, it’s for Eugene,_ she told herself. _You’ll do what Cass says because it’s for Eugene._

And so she got to her feet and, for the third time in the last ten minutes, walked away from a bleeding, hurt Eugene and tried to ignore the pain that was just as strong as when she did the same thing the first two times.

***************

When Rapunzel and Hook Foot got back to the camp, Cass, Lance and Shorty were all sitting outside the caravan, Cass stroking the fire as Lance prepared food.

Rapunzel felt the knots in her stomach tighten as she rushed forward. “Where’s Eugene?”

“In the caravan, still asleep,” Cass said, barely even looking up at her. “I’ve got water boiling for the tea.”

“You left Eugene alone?” Rapunzel demanded. “What if he wakes up?”

“Then he can call for us, or get out of bed and come out.” Cass answered.

“What if he can’t?” Rapunzel asked, her heart pounding. Her chest felt tight, like she had been running hard and fast for a long time, but she had been moving at normal pace.

“In my experience, a dislocated shoulder and a cut don’t affect the legs or vocal chords,” Cass said dryly, standing up. “Raps, he’s fine. I promise.”

Rapunzel shook her head slightly. “He shouldn’t be alone.”

She shoved the basket of herbs at Cassandra and entered the caravan. She immediately rushed over to the boys’ side of the caravan, where Eugene’s bunk was. She scaled the ladder, only to feel her breath hitch when she didn’t see him there, the bed still neatly made from that morning. Heart pounding, she glanced down and relief coursed through her. Eugene was tucked into Lance’s bunk, sound asleep and still.

Rapunzel sat gingerly on the bed beside him. The blanket had been tucked up to his shoulders, but she could see hints of bare skin and the knot from the sling for his arm from underneath the blanket. Rapunzel gently brushed Eugene’s hair out of his face, resting her palm on his cheek, running her thumb over his cheekbone. With her other hand, she gently pulled back the blanket a bit, surveying the sling and the bandage wrapped around his bicep, before laying her hand on his bare chest. She could feel his heartbeat, the rise and fall of his chest with every breath. He didn’t seem to be in any pain.

He was alive.

_Alive, alive, alive, alive._

She felt that in every beat of his heart, as well as her own. The beats began to synch the more she relaxed.

_Alive, alive, alive, alive._

They were safe.

Eugene was alive.

They were both alive.

Rapunzel allowed herself a small smile, which grew as half-lidded brown eyes blinked at her.

“Sunshine?” Eugene mumbled.

“Eugene,” Rapunzel breathed. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his nose, which made the corner of his mouth lift. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” Eugene admitted. He reached up with his good hand to gently cup Rapunzel’s cheek, their positions practically mirrored. “But better now that you’re here.”

Rapunzel leaned into his hand slightly. “Don’t you scare me like that again, you got that?” She scolded lightly.

“Yes, ma’am,” Eugene responded, his sleepy smile growing slightly.

Rapunzel let her shoulders slump a bit, relaxing even further now that Eugene was awake. “Do you need anything?” She asked. “Are you hungry? Thirsty? Cold? Warm? I can—”

“Actually, blondie,” Eugene said, moving his hand down from her face to grab hold of her hand. “I was thinking—”

“Oh, good, he’s awake.”

Rapunzel turned to the sound of Cass’s voice as she entered the caravan, followed by Lance, Pascal perched on Lance’s shoulder.

“Hey, buddy,” Lance greeted Eugene jovially. “Perfect timing.”

“For what?” Rapunzel asked as Pascal leapt from Lance’s shoulder to Rapunzel’s lap.

“Got that tea prepared,” Cass said, gesturing with her chin to the mug she was carrying. “Lance, you and Raps get him upright so he can drink this.”

“What exactly is ‘this’?” Eugene asked, wincing and grimacing as Lance helped him get upright, sitting with his back to the caravan wall. Rapunzel didn’t so much as help with this process as much as she hovered and fretted. She wanted him to be comfortable and it was clear that right now he wasn’t.

Rapunzel curled up beside his uninjured side, tucking her feet under her before adjusting the blanket over Eugene’s legs, gently squeezing his knee as she did so in a comforting way. Pascal, attempting to be helpful, got on Eugene’s other side and tugged at the blanket before gently petting Eugene’s leg in a similar fashion that Rapunzel was doing.

“This should help with the pain, and some of the herbs help fight infection,” Cass said, carefully transferring the cup from her hand to Eugene’s. “Raps and Hook Foot gathered the ingredients, and I put them together.”

“Thanks,” Eugene said. “And thanks for resetting my shoulder, too.”

“No problem,” Cass said nonchalantly. “Raps, let’s go wash the blood out of your hair while we still have some hot water.”

Rapunzel winced, both at the reminder that her hair currently was stained with Eugene’s blood and at the idea of leaving Eugene. “It’s fine, Cass. It’ll be fine for a while…”

“Come on, it’s gross, and it’ll just be harder to get out the longer it sets,” Cass argued. “We don’t have time to wash all of your hair tonight, but we can at get that area at least.”

“But…” Rapunzel started to say, worrying her lower lip between her teeth, trying to find an excuse.

“Just come on, it’ll be over before you know it,” Cass said dryly, rolling her eyes and grabbing Rapunzel’s wrists, gently tugging her off the bed. “Geez. You can have ‘snuggle time’ or whatever with your boyfriend later.”

Rapunzel looked over her shoulder, glancing at Eugene, then Lance. “Lance, will you stay with Eugene?”

“No sweat, Princess,” Lance said with a wave of his hand. “Trust me, I’m an old pro at watching over this idiot when he’s hurt. Piece of cake.”

Rapunzel took a deep breath that somehow didn’t come out in shudders. Instead, she managed a small smile. “Thanks, Lance.”

Before she was truly ready for it, the door to the caravan closed behind her.


End file.
